Dr. Henk de Weerd & Belgica de Weerd Since 1972, Dr. de Weerd has specialised himself in the medical requirements and complete guidance of the owners and trainers of racing pigeons. Eight specialists are employed at his clinic in Breda. Everyday pigeon fanciers from around the world are advised by telephone, fax or e-mail and their many problems solved. Many famous fanciers consult Dr. de Weerd at his clinic about therapies, prevention of diseases, techniques in the sport, loft construction and design, breeding programmes, advice on feeding, maintenance of top condition etc. Over 50.000 regular customers place their trust in the professional skill and the know how of “Pigeonclinic Breda”. As a young boy Dr. de Weerd visited many top lofts in Belgium and Holland with his famous father Piet de Weerd. Subsequently they visited Germany, the U.S.A., Canada, U.K., Mexico, Thailand, Taiwan, Polen, Spain, Portugal, Japan, China, etc. Thousands of fanciers have attended the lectures given by Piet de Weerd and his son Dr. de Weerd on topics such as selection and pigeon diseases. The products of Belgica de Weerd are all developed by the company, doing its own research and are of course free of any kind of doping. Each product is field-tested in real race competition by top fanciers before Belgica de Weerd introduced it. Today the products of Belgica de Weerd are used with enormous success in more than 25 countries. More than 70 % of the top fanciers in Europe use the “Success-programme” of Belgica de Weerd. They are more than pleased with their results. Piet de Weerd & Interpalomas Lofts During a period of over 60 years, Piet de Weerd achieved worldwide acknowledgement because of his manner in selecting and pairing the best and most valuable pigeons in the world. His name is known in the farthest corners of the globe and many, serious fanciers read his articles and books. These are written in his own down to earth characteristic manner. Invitations from all over the world have made him the worlds most widely travelled pigeon fancier. Back in the sixties he not only travelled numerous times across the Atlantic to the America's but also to South Africa and to the Far East. He established conclusive proof of his unequalled mastery direct after world war II during the period that Jan Aarden tried to build up an iron strain for the toughest overnight races. The absolute first mother of the strain, the "Oomens-duivin" (H45-907764) and also called by Aarden the "Delbar duivin", was in fact a present from De Weerd to Jan Aarden. On the numerous occasions that Piet visited Aarden, he brought one or more pigeons with him to cross them with the stockbirds at Steenbergen. So we may say he is the architect of the Aarden strain. Purchases and pairings of top pigeons by Piet de Weerd, wich made his name in international pigeon sport invaluable, were amongst other things:the purchase of the miraculous "Wondervoske" from the Janssen Brothers for the tandem Oomens-Van Tuijn; the pairing of the "Franck" (44-306686) at "Heroine" (47-1008650) on the loft of George Fabry: "Porthos" and the "Favorie", descendants of this pair made the name of Fabry world famous. Also the transfer of the "Piet" (strain Meulemans) to Raymund Hermes in Germany was a bull's eye and in South Africa, fanciers are to this day talking about the incredible breeding results of the "Stallion Jan Aarden", imported by Piet de Weerd and Piet's magic use of the Cauwenberg pigeon that became world famous. The famous "Didi" line of Jef v.d. Broucke-de Weerd and later Etienne de Vos ("kleine Didi") was the result of many years of selection and inbreeding by Piet de Weerd. Also the "Kipp Dynasty" of Althornbach (Germany) is based on Piet de Weerd pigeons, originally the lines of Hector de Bou, Kees de Groot (Jan Aarden) and Albert v. Cauwenbergh (Janssen).